People who have never tried yoga may enjoy Wii Yoga games. This popular video game system offers many options for fitness. Those new to yoga might find it helpful to try the game at home before they enroll in a formal yoga class.
What is Wii?

Nintendo is the manufacturer of the Wii video gaming system. Yoga games are part of the Wii Fit game bundle, which includes a balance board. This bundle offers Wii yoga games, aerobics, strength training, and balancing exercises.

Wii Yoga games aren't games at all - at least, not yet. The current Wii Yoga is a series of postures that an individual learns how to do. As an individual progresses and obtains higher scoring, the game presents more yoga poses. As of this writing, there are reports that a more specific Wii Yoga game will be released in 2009. However, there's no indication as to how different the Wii Yoga will be from Wii Fit, or if there will be a literal gaming function or a more standard yoga flow routine.

Watch demonstration videos on the Wii Fit site. A preview screen of the yoga portion is about halfway down the page.

Pros and Cons of Wii Yoga Games

There have been many reviews of the Wii Yoga game. The consensus is mixed. On one hand, Wii demonstrates yoga for many who may not be familiar with the practice and may not have considered buying a yoga DVD or taking a class. On the other hand, scoring your progress and earning points is not the point of yoga at all.

Pros
Helps open a door to yoga for those new to practice
Motion sensors in the gaming system and on the balance board provide an interactive experience between you and the onscreen image
Balance board registers your center of gravity
Somewhat more exciting than the same old yoga DVDs
Scoring and encouragement might be helpful feedback
Cons
Many poses do not demonstrate proper alignment, which may result in injury
Balance board makes performing some poses difficult
Limited access to poses in Wii Yoga unless you play more of Wii Fit and earn more poses
Instead of a real person instructor, you follow an animated figure
Scoring, feedback, and handling the controls makes practice longer
Scoring practice not a yogic principle
Not a flow practice - you have to use the controller to move on to the next posture
Read a Wii Yoga review in The New York Times from Cindi Lee, founder of Om Yoga.

Nintendo Wii Price

Something else to consider in your evaluation of Wii Yoga games is the price. A Wii gaming system is approximately $250. Demand still outshines supply, so in some cases, the system may not be available at a retailer for a couple of months. The Wii Fit bundle is about $89.99.

Beginner's yoga classes start around $10 per session. Many studios offer special packages for unlimited classes, similar to a gym membership. If you'd rather practice at home, yoga DVDs cost between $12 and $20. You can also try free online yoga classes.

It's probably not cost-effective to purchase the Nintendo Wii system simply for yoga. However, if you enjoy gaming, or you think this might be a good interactive family activity, the Wii Fit bundle may be a smart investment. Because of this, playing Wii is a popular activity in senior centers and physical rehabilitation centers.

More on Nintendo Wii

Don't stop with yoga! If you're going to get a Nintendo Wii, enjoy the Wii Sports pack, which is a standard feature of the gaming system. Tennis, bowling, golf, baseball, and even boxing are fun and interactive. Each sport has two modes: training and fitness. These modes help you improve your abilities and challenge you to up your game.